Graham Hood and Abigail Smith shortlisted by IFLR for the 2020 Rising Stars Awards Americas

Smart & Biggar is pleased to announce that partner Graham Hood and senior associate Abigail Smith have been shortlisted for the 2020 IFLR Rising Star Awards Americas in Trademarks and Life Sciences, respectively.

Graham Hood is a highly experienced trademark lawyer, whose counsel is sought after by brand owners focused on building and protecting their brands and reputations through efficient trademark clearance and prosecution. As one of the firm’s leading experts in anti-counterfeiting, Graham is also experienced in protecting brand owner’s marks both online, across online marketplaces and social media platforms, and at Canada’s borders. Graham sits on the Steering Committee of the Canadian Anti-Counterfeiting Network and Chairs the Canadian Subcommittee of the International Trademark Association’s Anticounterfeiting Committee. Graham was identified as a Rising Star by Expert Guides in 2020.

Abigail is a skilled litigator and biochemist. She works with innovative pharma clients to protect IP assets and advises on patent-regulatory matters. Abigail is a Certified Market Access Professional (CAHR/CCPE) and was recently elected to both the Ontario Bar Association’s Information Technology & Intellectual Property Law Section and Canadian Bar Association’s Intellectual Property Section executives. She is a member of the Canadian Bar Association’s Biotechnology and Federal Courts Practice Committees, the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada’s Young Practitioner and Women’s Committees and sits on the Editorial Board of the Canadian Intellectual Property Review. Abigail was recognized as an MIP IP Stars Rising Star in 2019.

The IFLR Rising Stars Awards Americas provides law firms and professional services firms recognition for the efforts of their up and coming practitioners in the legal profession. Shortlisted individuals are selected based on interviews with practitioners across multiple areas of law and jurisdictions as well as a combination of magazine survey results, directory analysis, etc. A Rising Star is defined as an associate, counsel or a recently raised partner, with up to fifteen years professional experience and is under forty years old. Winners will be announced in a virtual ceremony on January 28, 2021.

Smart & Biggar is widely recognized as Canada’s leading firm for intellectual property law, with offices in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. We are leaders in intellectual property and technology law and have been serving clients for over a century.